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Friday, July 7, 2017

I'm Niiiiiiine!

Or my blog is, anyway. Every year, I struggle for new and interesting ways to celebrate, because even though this is my blog, I'd get bored talking about myself for too long. This year, I had no problem coming up with an idea. Even though it's a little over a week after the fact, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone celebrated its 20th anniversary, and since I was away at the time, I never got to add my two cents to that milestone. How better to celebrate my blog birthday than with Harry Potter's birthday?

20 of My Favorite Moments from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

1. "Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much."

Reading this line is like coming home after years of being away. It's so simple, and not even the greatest first sentence in the world, but it's familiar and welcoming and warm.2. Dudley falling into the glass case at the zoo.

I've never read about a brattier kid than Dudley, and it was fun to see him get a little taste of his own medicine for a minute.3. Uncle Vernon's descent into madness as he attempts to keep Harry from getting his Hogwarts letter.

Boarding up the mail slot, fleeing the house, and going across a stormy sea to a little shack, all to avoid getting letters? You won't find many people that determined to avoid anything, and it's the perfect way to show how utterly obsessed that family is with keeping up appearances.

4. Harry meeting Hagrid for the first time.

Hagrid's a giant teddy bear, and the first encounter Harry has with him is both strange and sweet. He gives him a birthday cake, insults the Dursleys, talks about wizards and Hogwarts and his parents, and gives Dudley a pig's tail with his magical umbrella. It doesn't get much better than that.

5. The Diagon Alley chapter.

Harry's wonderment at everything Diagon Alley, and the rest of the wizarding world, has to offer mirrors the reader's awe when they first read about it. It's pretty spectacular.

6. Meeting the Weasleys at Platform Nine and Three-Quarters.

Thissums it up.

7. Harry buying a whole Halloween's worth of candy on the Hogwarts Express and sharing it with Ron.

The beginning to their friendship is just so pure and precious. Ron tells Harry stuff about the wizarding world, like chocolate frog cards and Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, and the two of them trade stories about the more unfortunate parts of their childhoods. A perfect bonding moment.

8. The sorting ceremony.

What other school has an extraordinarily old hat sing a self-composed song to welcome students into the new school year before screaming what house they're going to be in for the rest of their education??? It's so quirky and cool.

9. Hagrid inviting Harry for tea.

Hagrid is the best.

10. Harry breaking rules during his first flying lesson to get back Neville's Remembrall and ending up joining the Gryffindor Quidditch team.

Because McGonagallis freaking awesome and secretly super competitive when it comes to the Gryffindor team winning the Quidditch cup. I love her.

11. Harry and Ron sneaking out to duel Malfoy.

These two, dear lord, were so young and innocent. How were they expecting to win a duel with like a week of school under their belts? But their midnight escapade provided lots of entertainment: poor Neville forgetting the password again, Filch and his unhealthy obsession with catching students out of bed, Peeves doing his thing, coming face-to-face with Fluffy for the first time, and let's not forget Hermione's classic "We could all have been killed--or worse, expelled."

12. The epic fight against the troll in the bathroom.

I couldn't believe it when Harry just straight up launched himself at the troll and clung to his neck. And then Ron ended up taking the thing out with Wingardium Leviosa after taking Hermione's lecturing to heart. But the best part was the beginning of the trio's friendship, like it says at the end of the chapter: "But from that moment on, Hermione Granger became their friend. There are some things you can't share without ending up liking each other, and knocking out a twelve-foot mountain troll is one of them."

14. Harry getting the invisibility cloak and discovering the Mirror of Erised and Dumbledore talking about wanting socks for Christmas.

The feeeeeeelllllllllsssssssss.

15. Neville finally standing up to Draco.

"I'm worth twelve of you, Malfoy." HECK YEAH, NEVILLE, YOU TELL HIM.

16. Norbert.

Hagrid being all motherly to his little baby dragon. "Bless him, look, he knows his mummy!" Plus Hermione actually agreed to breaking school rules to go help Harry get rid of Norbert so Hagrid wouldn't get in trouble, which is an "aww" moment if I ever saw one.

17. "Mars is bright tonight."

The centaurs cracked me up the first time I read the chapter where they go in the Forbidden Forest for detention. They'd drive me so crazy if I actually had to deal with them, but watching Hagrid get progressively more annoyed by them is great.

18. Every challenge the trio had to conquer under the trapdoor.

Like the Devil's Snare when Ron shouts, "HAVE YOU GONE MAD? ARE YOU A WITCH OR NOT?"and Hermione remembers that she can use magic and doesn't in fact need wood to light a fire. Or Ron getting a chance to shine on the chessboard. Or Harry utilizing his seeker skills to catch the winged key. Or Hermione using her "books and cleverness" to beat Snape's potion riddle.

19. Harry facing off against Quirrell and Voldemort.

That whole scene was epic. All the tension and creepiness and then Harry just clawing at Quirrell's face because Quirrell couldn't touch him without burning himself. What a climactic moment!

20. Dumbledore dishing out extra points.

But especially him giving Neville the final ten points that wins Gryffindor the house cup. "There are all kinds of courage. It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends. I therefore award ten points to Mr. Neville Longbottom." What a confidence boost that must've been to a kid like Neville who didn't think he had enough bravery to belong in Gryffindor. And it's the perfect celebration to have at the end of the book.

I am an 18-year-old homeschooler, author, daydreamer, voracious reader, introvert, feminist, klutz, fangirl, and overuser of tape. I love the impossible (which might explain my obsessions with fantasy novels and Harry Potter) but I dip into the real world . . . occasionally. I tend to get overly emotional over my OTPs and eat sushi or listen to Taylor Swift to soothe the pain. If all else fails, reruns of “Doctor Who” or “Supernatural” is sure to help. I’m a big fan of mismatched socks, Cheez-Its, and bittersweet endings. I believe anything Rainbow Rowell, Felicia Day, or Lin-Manuel Miranda touches turns to gold. If you want to win the way to my heart, help me adopt a baby elephant. Or a llama. Or both. I write to survive and will often yell at my characters if they aren’t behaving, which is always. It doesn’t usually help. I am a contributor to the "Fauxpocalypse" anthology. You can follow me on Twitter at @Magic_Violinist.

Lee's commentary is probably the best in the third book, because McGonagall is not having it one bit when he starts going off about all the cool things the Firebolt can do instead of focusing on the match.

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About Me

I am an 18-year-old homeschooler, author, daydreamer, voracious reader, introvert, feminist, klutz, fangirl, and overuser of tape. I love the impossible (which might explain my obsessions with fantasy novels and Harry Potter) but I dip into the real world . . . occasionally. I tend to get overly emotional over my OTPs and eat sushi or listen to Taylor Swift to soothe the pain. If all else fails, reruns of “Doctor Who” or “Supernatural” is sure to help. I’m a big fan of mismatched socks, Cheez-Its, and bittersweet endings. I believe anything Rainbow Rowell, Felicia Day, or Lin-Manuel Miranda touches turns to gold. If you want to win the way to my heart, help me adopt a baby elephant. Or a llama. Or both. I write to survive and will often yell at my characters if they aren’t behaving, which is always. It doesn’t usually help. I am a contributor to the "Fauxpocalypse" anthology. You can follow me on Twitter at @Magic_Violinist.